Grass-twine machine.



Tl Wl JERREMS.

GRASS TWINE MACHINE. APPLIOATION FILED o omz. 1904'.

PATBNTED JULY 23, 1907.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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10.860,9'78. l :PATENTBD JULY 2s, 1907.

T. W. JBRRBMS. GRASS TWINB MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILE-D 00T.22. 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FH: Nnnms PETER: ca.. wAsmNaraN, D. c.

No. 360,978. L PATLNTLD JULY 23, 1907. T. W. JLRLLMS.

GRASS TWINB MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED o'xusz. 1904.

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THE "clams PETERS co., wAsHlNamN, n. c.

.PATENTED JULY 23, 1907.

T. W. JERREMS.. GRASS TWINE MACHINE.

APPLIGATIN vFILE-1J ocmz.. 1904.'

e SHEETS-SHEET 4'.

T. W. JERREMS.

' PTENTED JULY z3, 1907.

GRASS TWINE MACHINE. APPLIoATIoN FILED ooms. 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET-E.

co., wAsnmcroN. n. c4

' 10.860,978. PATBNTED JULY za, 1907.

T. w. JBRRBMS. GRASS TWINB MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 0O1'.22. 1904.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

imllllllilllgljimllmr THE MORRIS PETERS co.. wAsHlNarnN. n. c.

UNITED STATES THOMAS W. JERREMS, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

GRASS-TWINE MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 23, 1907.

Application filed October 22,1904. Serial No. 229,548.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS W. JERRnMs, a citizen of the United States,residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Grass-TwineMachines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to machines for making grass twine, and has for itsobject to improve the same in point of simplicity of construction, cost,durability, and both quantity and quality of work turned out.

To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

My present invention is directed particularly to improved grass feedingmechanism for selecting the grass blades from a suitable holder, in aregular order of succession, and delivering the same to twine formingmechanism, by the means of which latter, they are twisted together intotwine form. The invention, however, further involves other features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, all of which will be hereinafterdescribed and defined in the claims.

VThe improved machine is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the severalviews.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a view, principally in sideelevation, but with some parts sectioned, showing a machine designed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectiontaken on the line x2 x2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical section takenfrom the front toward the rear of the machine on the line :v3 of Fig. 2,some parts being broken away. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section,taken on the line x* .r4 of Fig. l, some parts being broken away. Fig. 5is a detail in horizontal section, taken on the line :t5 :1:5 of Fig. 4,some parts being broken away. Fig. 6 is a detail in horizontal section,taken on the line x :c6 of Fig. 4, some parts being broken away. Fig. 7is a detail, on an enlarged scale, corresponding in the direction inwhich it is viewed, to Fig. 2, and showing one of the spiral grassselectors, and coperating guide plate, parts being broken away. Fig. 8is a detail in vertical section, taken on the line xs x8 of Fig. 7. Fig.9 is a detail in horizontal section, on the line :t9 x9 of Fig. 7. Fig.10 is a horizontal section, taken on the line rc1 x1 of Fig. l. Fig. 11is a vertical section, taken on the line fr x of Fig. 1 0. Fig. 12 is atransverse vertical section, taken on the line x12 m12 of Fig. 10. Fig.13 is an elevation, showing in detail, one of the funnel heads andtwisting fingers of one of the twisting devices. Fig. 14 is an endelevation of one ofthe twisting devices; and Fig. 15 is a plan view ofthe so-called reeling mechanism.

In the machine as illustrated in the drawings, all of the running partsare supported, directly or indirectly, by a rectangular frame l, to theforward end of which are rigidly secured three bearing pedestals 2-3-3,said pedestals being rigidly tied together, at their intermediateportions, by a tie bar 4.

To hold the grass in straight, loosely compacted, but parallel,arrangement, suitable grass holders are provided. These grassholders'are, as shown, afforded, in part, by V-shaped metallic straps orcrotches 5 that are supported by bars 6 from the upper portion of thecentral pedestal 2 (see Figs. 1, 2 and 3).

Grass-feeding mechanism-Mounted in suitable bearings on the frame 1, onthe tie bar 4, and on the upper end of the central pedestal 2, is a pairof vertically disposed parallel shafts 7. These shafts 7 are located aconsiderable distance forward of the corresponding holder straps orcrotches 5, and they stand appronimately in line longitudinally of themachine, with the depending lower portions thereof. Around each shaft 7is placed a spiral grass selector, in the form of a coiled spring 8, theupper end of which is brought to a sharp knife-edge point 8, that islocated preferably in horizontal line with the lower portion of thecorresponding holder crotch 5, as best shown in Figs. 2, 7, 8 and 9.This sharpened or pointed end 8 of the spring 8 is brazed or otherwiserigidly secured to ythe corresponding shaft 7, but the rest of saidspringgis i loose therefrom, to afford means for adjusting the feed, aswill hereinafter appear. Secured on each shaft 7, below its spring orspiral selector-8, is a sleeve 9 which, as shown, is made adjustable bya set screw 10. The upper end of this sleeve 9 engages the lower end ofthe 'spring 8, and by longitudinal adjustments of said sleeve on saidshaft, the pitch of the spring 8, that is, the distance between thecoils thereof, may be varied. Surrounding the upper portion of eachshaft 7 is a nonrotary sleeve 11, the upper end of which, as shown, isrigidly secured to the expanded head of the pedestal 2. Between thelower Yends of the sleeves l1 and the I upper ends of the correspondingsprings 8, the shafts 7 are preferably provided with key-like agitatingpro- Ijections 0r ribs 12 that serve to agitate or shake up the grassblades and insure the free feeding action thereof.

For coperation with each spiral selector or spring 8 `is a verticallydisposed guide, as shown, in the form of a tapered bar 13 having aslotted flange 14 which is clamped to the upper end of the correspondingpedestal 3, by a screw bolt l5, and is subject to a thrust screw 16. Byadjustments oi the thrust screw 16, the guide bar 13 may be adjustededgewise with respect to `the cooperating spring or selector 8. Theinclined upper portions of the guide bars 13, and the non-rotaryAsleeves 11 and portions of the shafts 7, cooperate with the holdercrotches 5 to hold the grass blades in straight parallel and looselycompacted arrangement, with the butt ends of the lower blades resting onthe upper extremities of the spiral selectors 8.A p y The spiralselectors or springs 8, and other coperating parts described, constitutewhat may be properly designated as primary feed devices. Sofcalledsecondary feed devices, in the formvof pairs of upright coperating feedrollers, having axially converging upper end surfaces, receive the-grass blades from the primary feed devices noted. These feed rollersare designated by the numeral 17, and at their reduced upper ends, theyare loosely journaled in bearings 2fL and 3fL formed respectively on thepedestals 2 and 3,

l i While at their lower ends, they are journaled in bearings i4a on thetie bar 4. The coperating rollers are geared to run together and to turnin reverse directions, as'iindicated by arrows marked thereon in Figs. 3and 4, by means of intermeshing gears 18, shown also in Fig. 6. Theupper portions of the rollers 17 are formed conical, as indicated at17'1. These conical sections 17 a provide the rollers with coperatingsurfaces that form crotches in which the butt ends of the grass bladesmay be forced, under the action of the spiral selector 8.

InFig. 3,-the grass blades are indicated by the character z, and it willbe noted that when properly positioned within the respective grassholders, they directly overlie the diverging conical ends of the saidrollers, with their butt ends in position to be delivered l 'i theretoby direct downward lateral movement.

Each outer roller 17, below its gear 18, carries a gear 19 that mesheswith a gear 20 on the corresponding feed shaft 7 (see Figs. 3, 4 and 5.)The shafts 7, at their lower ends (see Figs. 2 and 3) are provided withmiter gears 2l that meslr with miter gears 22 on a transversecountershaft 23, mounted in suitable bearings 24 on the machine frame 1.The eountershaft 23 carries another miter gear 25 that meshes with amiter gear 26 carried by a long countershaft 27, mounted in bearings i i28 on the frame l, and extending longitudinally thereof.

fllm'mz-formz'ng mechanism-The grass blades which are fed endwise by thesecondary feed devices, to wit, the rollers 17, are delivered intoinclined guide spouts 29 (see Figs. 1, 3 and 4) that are rigidlysupported, as

i f: shown, by metallic straps 30 from the frame l and from the tie bar4. Each of these guide spouts 29 delivers to one of a pair of primaryrotary twisters, and

' the two primary twisters deliver the strands which they twist to acommon secondary twister. The primary twisters, in the constructionillustrated, involve rotary sleeves or tubular spindles 31 that aremounted in suitable bearings 32 and 33 on the frame 1, and are providedwith funnel-like receiving heads 34. The spindles 31 converge toward therear of the machine, and

- between them, at their converging delivering ends, is

a fixed wedge-like anvil block 35 which, as shown, is integral with thebearings 32. Thrust collars 36, fixed on the spindles 31, press againstthe bearing 32. The heads 34 are provided with screw-threaded shanks 341that are screwed into the ends of the spindles 31, and are provided withreduced tubular extensions 34h, to which are rigdily secured the forwardends of a pair of spring blade twisting fingers 37 (see particularlyFigs. 10, 13 and 14). The free ends of the so-called twisting fingers 37are slightly concavo-convex in cross section,

so that they form a good guide for the twisted strands of twine whichthey are acting upon. The hollow spindles 31 carry bevel pinions 38 thatmesh with a large n 40 which, as shown, is rigidly secured to a bearing4l on the frame l (see particularly Fig. 10). A similar non-rotarysleeve 42, is secured in a bearing 43 on the frame 1 and is axiallyalined with, but spaced apart from, the non-rotary sleeve 40. Arectangular gear case or carrier 44, is mounted to rotate on thenon-rotary sleeves 40 and 42, between the bearings 41 and 43, and

on one -hub it is provided with a spur gear 45 that meshes with a spurgear 46 carried by the shaft 27. The rotary carrier 44 carries a pair ofgrooved drawing wheels 47, the abutting peripheries of which stand in`position to engage and act upon that portion of the twine which isexposed between the two non-rotary sleeves 40 and 42. One of the wheels47 is movable with respect to the other, and its trunnions 47 areengaged by sliding bearings 48 which are slidably mount 4ed in the sideplates of the rotary carrier 44, and are subject to springs 49, whichsprings press the two wheels together. On the trunnions 47L of the drawwheels 47` carried by short shafts 52- mounted in the side plates ofvthe carrier 44, and provided with worm gears 53 thatV mesh with a worm54 formed on the rear end of the nonrotary sleeve 40.

The carrier 44 receives rotary motion from the shaft V27, through thegear`46 and pinion 45, and when it is 'thus rotated, the draw wheels 47gears 51 and worm gears 53, are caused to revolve around the common axisof the non-rotary sleeves 40 and 42. Hence, un-

I der this motion, the worm gears, acting on the worm 54, will rotatethe shafts 52 and, through the gears 50 and 51, will rotate the two drawwheels 47, in the direction indicated by the arrows marked thereon inFig.V 10. The draw wheels` by the revolution around the axis of thenon-rotary guide sleeves, will twist together the vtwo strands oftwisted grass delivered thereto from the primary twisters, and byrotation on their own axes, will draw or feed the twisted twine endwisethrough the machine. By noting the arrows marked on Fig. l0, it will beseen that both of the primary Vtwisters, and the common secondarytwister, rotate in the same direction.

Reeling mechanism-A large rectangular frame 55 is mounted to rotate onthe rear end of the non-rotary sleeve 42 and on a non-rotary shaft orstud 56 which is held by a bearing 57, secured on the frame l, and isprovided, within said frame,-.with a bevel. pinion 58. The shaft 56 islocated in axial alinement with they sleeve 42, and the frame 55, on itsforward end hub, is provided with a spur gear 59 that meshes with a spurgear 60 on the long conntershaft 27. Hence rotary motion will beimparted from the shaft 27 to said frame 55, through the gears 59 and60. Extendingl transversely of the frame 55, and mounted in bearings552L of said frame, is a pair of stub shafts 61 which are rigidly=secured to said bearings by set screws 62, or other de-y are pinions 50that mesh with spur gears 51 (see Fig. 1l) i vices, which whenloosenedfpermit the said shafts to be slid endwise. Loosely mounted onone of said shafts i Gl is a pulley 63, and loosely mounted on the othershaft isa pulley 64. Rigidly secured to the hub 0f the pulley 63 is adisk-like head 65 having, on its inner face, aud near its hub,projecting lugs 66. The numeral 67 indicates a windlass spindle which,at one end, is provided w'ith a disk-like head 68, and with a lug 69 onits hub, outward of said disk. This spindle 67 has seats at its endsinto which the ends of the stub shafts 6l are adapted to be inserted, tohold the same in working position. When the said spindle is applied inWorking position, its lug 69 engages a seat in the hub of the pulley 64,and the lug 66 carried by the pulley 63, engages a seat in its otherend. When the said parts are put together as shown in Fig. 15, the twopulleys G3 and 64, the spindle 67 and the heads 65 and 68, are connectedto rotate together, and the said spindle 67, and the two heads and G8,make up a complete drum or spool, onto which the completed twine iswound.

The pinion 58 of the non-rotary shaft 56, meshes with a bevel gear 70carried by a transverse counter shaft 7l mounted in bearings on thesides ofthe rotary frame 55, and provided with a pulley 72. A belt 73runs over the pulley 72 and over the pulley 64, and over a tighteningpulley '74, which latter pulley is mounted on one side of the frame 55.

rl`he completed twine, on its way from the guide sleeve 42 to the drumor spool upon which it is to be wound, passes through a traveling guide75 which is mounted on a reversely threaded shaft 76, mounted insuitable bearings on the sides of the rotating frame 55. This shaft, andthe guide 75, operate in the usual way to spread out the twine in evenlayers over the spool, and for the purposes of this case, the well knownmeans for automatically reversing the travel of said guide need not beconsidered. Said shaft 76 is provided with a pulley 77, over which, andthe heretofore noted pulley 63, a belt 78 runs, to impart motion to thesaid shaft.

Operat'imtf'lhe operations of the machine, summarized, is as follows;For each rotation of the feed shaft 7, the sharp upper point or edge 8aof the spiral selector' afforded by the spring 8 takes up one or moreblades of grass from the bottom of the loose bundle contained in theholder and starts the same on downward under a lateral movement, andcontinues such movements of the butt ends of the blades until they areforced first between the conical ends 17, and thcn between the bodyportions of the feed rollers 17. Of course, the distance' between thepoint Or edge 8 and the immediate underlying coil of the spring 8 willdetermine the amount of grass or number of blades that will be fedvlaterally downward from the roller for each rotation of the shaft 7.Hence it is evident that the rate of feed may be varied by closing up orletting out the spring 8. For instance, by Inoving upward the sleeve 9on shaft 7, the spring 8 may be shortened and the coils thereof forcedmore closely together, thereby decreasing the rate of feed of the grassper rotation of the shaft 7. lt will thus be seen that the spring 8 isreally a variable pitched screw which operates as a grass selector. Itmay he here stated that the screw or spiral selector afforded by saidspring `8 should have threads of such depth that the grass bladescontained between the threads will not be pinched between the shafts 7and the vertical edge of the guide bar 13, and said grass blades therebyprevented from being fed endwise, as they are moved laterally downwardto the rollers 17 of the secondary feed device. The grass blades whichare engaged by the rollers 17 will be fed endwise into the inclined feedspouts 29, and by the latter, will be directed into the funnel-likeheads 34, and thence through the bodies of the tubular spindles 3l. ofthe primary twisters, and by the action of the spring fingers 37, willbe twisted into two strands. The two strands are brought together at thereceiving end of the non-rotary sleeve 40, and are twisted together anddrawn toward the rear of the machine by the draw wheels 47 of thesecondary twister. The wedgeshaped anvil block 35 prevents the twostrands from being twisted together outward of the receiving end of thesaid sleeve 40.

The manner in which the completed twine will be wound onto the receivingspool of the reel mechanism has already been described.

When the spool of the reeling mechanism has been filled, the machineshould be stopped and the said spool, that is, the Aspindle 67 and head68, may be readily removed, simply by drawing the stub shafts G1 axiallyoutward. The coil 0f completed twine having been removed from the spool,the said spool is again placed in working position, and the machine isthen again ready for action.

The twine formed by the machine as above described, is made of twostrands, but the number of strands may be varied by the proper additionor elimination of mechanism. The twine is formed entirely of grass, andwithout the use of wrapping thread. A cheap twine is thus producedwhich, for a great many purposes, is better than the thread-wrappedtwine.

From what has been said, it will be understood that the mechanismdescribed is capable of a large range` of modification within the scopeof my invention as herein set forth and claimed.

1. In a grass feedingl mechanism, the combination with a grass holder',of a rotary spiral selector arranged to feed the grass blades from saidholder, by a lateral movement, substantially as described.

2. In a grass feeding mechanism, the combination with a grass holder, ofan upright spiral selector operative'to select and feed laterallydownward the grass blades from said holder, substantially as described.

3. In a grass feeding mechanism, a rotating shaft and an adjacent guide,said shaft having spiral threads of such depth that they will feed thegrass blades laterally, without imparting endwise movements thereto,substantially as described.

4. In a grass feeding mechanism, a variable pitch rotating spiral feeddevice, substantially as described.

In a grass feeding mechanism, the combination with a rotating shaft anda coperating guide, of a spiral spring, surrounding said shaft, havingone end sharpened and rigidly secured to said shaft, and operating as aspiral grass feeding device, substantially as described.

6. In a grass feeding mechanism, the combination with a rotating shaft,and a coperating guide, of a spiral spring surrounding said shaft,having one end sharpened and rig idly secured to said shaft, but withits main body portion loose from said shaft, and means for compressingand letting out said spring to vary the pitch thereof, substantially asdescribed.

In a grass feeding mechanism, the combination with a grass holder, of arotary shaft, and a cooperating guide,

said shaft having a spiral spring secured thereto at one end, and havinga longitudinally adjustable sleeve against which the free end of saidspring reacts, substantially as described.

8. 'ljhe combination with a downwardly converging grass holder, of avertical rotary shaft and an adjacent guide, said shaft having a spiralselector and an agitating projection operating on the grass blades at ornear the bottom of the holder, substantially as described.

9. In a grass feeding mechanism, the combination with a grass holder, ofa rotary vertical shaft, having a spiral selector operative on the grassblades at or near the bottom of the holder, a non-rotary sleevesurrounding said shaft, above said spiral selector, of an upright guideextending close to andparallel with that portion of said shaft whichcarries said spiral selector and with its upper portion diverging fromsaid non-rotary sleeve and coperati'ng therewith, to hold the grass,substantially as described.

l0. In a grass feeding mechanism, the combination with an upright rotaryshaft, having a spiral selector, of a coseo,97s l operating guide forthe grass blades, mounted for adjustment toward and from said shaft andsaid spiral selector, substantially as described.

1l. ln a machine of the character described, the combination with a pairof converging rotary twsters, and means for delivering grass bladesthereto, of a revolving reel, a pair of non-rotary sleeves, throughwhich both of the twisted strands of the twine are drawn on the Way fromsaid twisters to said windlass, one of said sleeves having a worm, agear carrier mounted to rotate on said two sleeves, means for rotatingthe same, a pair of c0- operating drawing wheels mounted on said gearcarrier and engageable with the twine and Worm gears on said carrier,meshing with said worm and geared to said draw-l ing,r wheels,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof l affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS W. JERREMS. Witnesses ROBERT C. Manny, F. D. MERCHANT.

